Veteran’s Perspective of September 11th

Veteran’s Perspective
Author: Chuck Kurtz USMC 73-77
Written: September 17, 2001

On September 11, 2001 lives were lost.
Not troops on the field of combat.
These were innocent civilians,
At work or just arriving for the day.

Terrorists attacked our country,
By an act so despicable, so dishonorable,
Angering past soldiers who have taken an oath.
An oath to protect our citizens from harm.

Others also lost their lives this day.
Those who took a different oath.
The oath to protect and serve.
Their job they did without regard to themselves.

These policemen, firefighters, and EMTs
Do their jobs without looking back.
Just as the soldier fights
To make others feel safe.

Most veterans feel a frustration.
This conflict has no visible enemy.
The foe in this war is elusive.
There will be no rapid end.